Updated Wednesday, 21st December 2023
There’s no point in pretending things haven’t been hard in recent times. It’s often better to acknowledge when this is the case and to take whatever actions you can to manage the situation.
We want to make it as easy as possible for you to access your training requirements, to book your courses at the point where this works best for you and to be able to do this with confidence. So, we’ve responded by making a few changes. These include new course packages, flexible payment options and temporary changes to our Transfer and Cancellation Policy.
Prices, packages and flexible payment options
We’ve long been aware of the changing financial situation for junior doctors. So, not only have we’ve generally held our prices steady over the past few years, we’ve also significantly enhanced many of our course packages. For example, for the vast majority of courses taking place in our Virtual Classrooms, we provide you with an additional related online course for you to work through at your own pace to enhance your learning experience and provide you with more CPD points. We’ve also introduced a number of completely new packages to provide even better value for money, such as our 2-day Medical Leadership & Management Course, our Online Career Development Collections, and our new Extended Teach the Teacher Course which we introduced in July.
We recognise that your course is a significant but worthwhile investment for you. So, to make things easier, we now offer flexible payment options.
Temporary changes to our Transfer & Cancellation Policy.
Rules, guidelines and defined standards should always be relevant and make sense. But, when situations change, the protocols we created with the best intentions can end up causing more difficulties than they solve. When this happens, then it makes sense that we should adapt and change the rules – even if this is only on a temporary basis.
To say that 2023 has been a challenging year is a bit of an understatement. Huge waiting lists, staff absences and vacancies along with a shortage of locum cover have meant that you could often be finding your work schedule and rota changing at short notice. This meant we were having conversations with a significant number of doctors concerned that they will incur additional costs or even lose their money if they are unable to attend the course that they want to book with us. We can now add the industrial action to this list. So, we’re extending the temporary our Transfer & Cancellation Policy that we made earlier in the year.
If you are unable to attend a course for any work related reason before the end of January 2023, then we will transfer your booking to another date free of charge.
Why do we have a Transfer & Cancellation Policy?
Our date specific courses, whether in-person or in our Virtual Training Room, are designed to run with small numbers of doctors taking part. This enables our interactive approach which provides you with the high-quality learning experience you deserve. We never exceed our stated maximum number of delegates. So, when a course is fully booked, we have to disappoint other doctors who would like to attend on that date by turning them away. At the same time, we always want to ensure that there are enough delegates present to make the various planned exercises and discussions worthwhile. This means that last minute call offs can make the difference between a course being practically viable or not. So, late transfers and cancellations can impact on other people.
These considerations apply to any organisation that provides date specific events or services where there is limited capacity. That means it’s fairly standard practice to have a transfers and cancellations policy. Examples include bookings for flights, hotels or the theatre.
Under normal circumstances, if we have a transfer requested when the course is less than four weeks away, we charge a small administration fee and don’t allow transfers when it is less than 2 weeks away. We always make exceptions when you are unable to attend a course due to illness. However, we are not in normal circumstances, and so, as previously mentioned, we are making an alteration to our normal Transfer & Cancellation Policy.
What if I have to change my booking?
If you are genuinely unable to attend a course for any work related reason, then we will transfer your booking to another date, free of charge, as long as you contact us beforehand. We will do this even when something changes at short notice. This over-rides our normal Transfer & Cancellation Policy section of our Terms & Conditions until the end of January 2024. We will manage any changes related to illness in our normal manner, again, as long as you contact us ahead of your course.
What if I am still unsure about committing to a date?
Good communication, teamwork, teaching, leadership and management will are essential tools in moving us forward from any problematic situation. So it makes sense to ensure that you are continuing to review and develop these skills. But what if you really can’t commit to attending a course on a specific date?
Our broad range of online courses offer you the chance to learn on your own, at your own pace, as and when you want. You can revisit the material as often as you like over the duration of your subscription. When you choose one of these options, you are unaffected by any uncertainties over availability for dates. Our Online Career Development Collections also mean that you can make considerable savings when purchasing multiple courses while broaden your learning experience.
So, book your course with confidence that we will work with you to find a solution to any challenges that may arise.
Stephen McGuire – Managing Director
